Governor Perdue has called on the General Assembly to restore three-quarters of a cent of sales tax which the General Assembly allowed to expire last year and to use the money to reduce cuts to education.
In a statement, the Governor noted that “The North Carolina Association of School Administrators pointed out recently that North Carolinahas fallen to 49th in the nation in per-pupil funding. The legislature’s budget has hurt education at all levels – from pre-k [...]
Continue reading Governor Proposes Adding Back Emergency Sales Tax
Late this morning, Governor Bev Perdue vetoed the bill which would have gutted the Racial Justice Act (RJA). The RJA is a two-year-old law which allows defendants in death penalty cases to introduce statistical evidence that racial bias affected their death sentence. It’s rebuttable evidence, which means that prosecutors could introduce evidence of their own, but it was almost universally opposed by district attorneys, at least some of whom might be worried about what [...]
Continue reading Good News: Governor Perdue Vetoes Attack on Racial Justice Act
The General Assembly has returned for another mini-session, this one scheduled to last a couple of days. (The one in early November concerned itself with revising the newly re-drawn districts for the US House of Representatives and the state Senate and House after it was discovered that thousands of NC residents had been completely left out of the new districts. Whoopsie.)
Two issues of particular importance are likely to come up in this week.
1) The [...]
Continue reading Racial Justice Act and Fracking — Make Your Voice Heard on Two Critical Issues
The General Assembly met for three days last week in its second mini-session following adjournment of the regular long session. This session was supposed to be the “Constitutional Amendments Session,” but when the dust cleared, only one constitutional amendment had been approved – the one which defines marriage so as to exclude people who are gay or lesbian not only from marriage but also from civil unions or other similar committed relationships and which could also prevent local governments and even private companies from granting partner benefits to anyone not in a two-gender marriage [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – September 19, 2011
The General Assembly returned to Raleigh in July for what was, in reality, Round Two of its 2011 Long Session. The primary tasks were to take up overrides on bills Governor Perdue had vetoed and to adopt redistricting plans for U.S. Congressional districts and for the state House and Senate. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – August 5, 2011
The 2011 session of the General Assembly adjourned around midday on Saturday, June 18. Legislative leaders and the media are trumpeting the efficiency of the session and the fact that this is the earliest adjournment since 1973. But that is misleading since they aren’t really finished with their work. The adjournment resolution calls them back into a special session on July 13. At that time, they will take up the thorny issue of redistricting as well as controversial bills from the just-ended session which remain in conference committees and any bills vetoed by the Governor. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – June 21, 2011
The focus of this issue is a handful of the most important items currently under consideration at the General Assembly. These are issues that are under challenge by the current majorities in both houses. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – May 20, 2011
The office of Rep. Garland Pierce, who is also a Baptist pastor, sent me the following message in italics about an opportunity to come to Raleigh and express your opposition to legislative measures which will make life more difficult for people who are poor:
I invite you to join me on Tuesday, May 17th, at 10 a.m. for the Call To Action Clergy Rally. After a brief devotion, welcome and orientation at the First Baptist [...]
Continue reading Legislative Black Caucus Sponsors Clergy Day at the General Assembly
Rev. William Barber, president of the NC NAACP, organizer of the HKonJ movement (of which the NC Council of Churches is a partner), and pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, has issued an update and call to action. It gives details about the multi-faceted assault on issues of racial equality and social justice in the state legislature, issues for which the NAACP and the NC Council of Churches have worked for decades.
Please use it [...]
Continue reading Emergency Call to Action from Rev. William Barber
State Deadline Passes and Most New Bills Introduced [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – April 26, 2011
New Bills Edition: Attack on Workers Comp by New Bill H 709/S 544 misnamed Protect and Put NC Back to Work. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – April 19, 2011
Budget Edition: Last week the chairs of the House Appropriations Subcommittees started revealing their plans for the 2011-13 budget. Not surprisingly, their plans differ in significant ways from the budget proposed by Governor Perdue. The most important difference is that the House leaders will not approve the continuation of any of the emergency tax increases enacted in 2009. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – April 18, 2011
The drumbeat of bad bills continues. Suffice it to say that it’s a tough year for those of us who have advocated for public policy decisions promoting social justice, protecting vulnerable people, and caring for God’s creation. We can’t respond to every bad idea or bad bill. On many of these issues, we feel like we are butting our heads against a wall. Our tendency may be to throw up our hands in despair. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – April 4, 2011
New bills on the budget, care of creation, criminal justice, election and campaign law, gambling, guns, health and health care, immigration, mental health, developmental disabilities, substance abuse services, public eduction, and taxes. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – March 21, 2011
Governor Bev Perdue on Saturday vetoed H 2, the misnamed “Protect Health Care Freedom” bill. (It should be called the “Freedom to be Uninsured and Unable to Get Health Care” bill.) The bill was an attack on federal health care reform and purported to remove North Carolinians from the mandated purchase of health insurance, which is the basis of federal reform which will move millions of uninsured Americans into the ranks of the insured. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report – March 7, 2011
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